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Joining the RAF in 1981 at age 16.5 and joining now 2024....How has it changed?

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foxOneFive

foxOneFive

Corporal
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Obviously lots of stuff in the media ref recruitment problems again at the moment. I'll keep it brief.

As an excited 16 year old leaving school around 1980 I rocked up at my local city RAF recruitment office.

Walked through door and met a CPL and SGT in uniform and then over the next 12 months completed the various tests and med checks meeting the OC of the gaff.

Around a year I was "in" And this was in a time of really high unemployment in civvy street.

So my question is: What's it like now? According to what I have read....Like everything in this amazing tech world we now live in. It starts off with an email or app contact and you are in contact with some civvy company....Ok I get that, but Has that inspired you more than my 40 odd year old experience above?

Just for context. I live in a tiny rural village and my neirbours son who is 13 asked for a paper round at the local shop.....they said he had to email them with his information even though they have known him all his life FFS. Bizarre
 
From joining to the RAF life itself, it's changed massively and not for the better in most parts - imo.

I still think it's a great start to life or even perhaps a career for the young 'uns as they don't know what it USED to be like or the opportunities the RAF once had to offer.

But yes, online, live chat and then through Crapita (if they still 'manage' the processing).
 
Not sure how many - if any - 16 year olds join nowadays. Back in the 80s it was common place. On my 1st posting to 115 Sqn, I think half of us doing regular flight servicings were under 18! Caused a few problems when the Management realised none of us should have been signing aircraft paperwork!
 
I joined in Mar 1980, IIRC id id not take me long for interview to trouser drop to rail warrant in hand.

The way I see it, back in the day it was a career, today it's a Monday to Friday job. Camps are empty on a weekend and a lack of camaraderie due to single rooms. Is there still beer calls, Naafi bops or even a living in Christmas do. Saying that I left in 2008 after 28 years and saw many changes over the years, many not good for morale.
 
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I now tend to recommend that if you want to travel in the RAF that you join as admin as you can get into the Embassy circuit etc.

Not a lot of travel opportunities for travel for the techy lot these days.
 
Thanks for your replies. Was mainly asking as like I'm sure all of us over the years have been asked the question "what's the process for joining the RAF?" A family member asked last week and obviously I didn't have a clue as so much has changed over the years.

So interested to hear from any young pup who has joined recently, the process and how long did it take from application till "trouser drop" made me smile Norf1:)
 
Not exactly a "young pup" but I am a late in life joiner, I started in 2022 age 35.

The process took around 12 months, most of the time waiting for medical paperwork to be sent from the Army (where I was a reservist) to Capita for review.

The course itself was pretty tough in my opinion, fitness and discipline being huge elements of the course as you would expect.

I applied online and decided to chase up my application via email after not hearing anything for around a month or so. This seemed to help and I was invited to the AFCO to sit the AST. The AST was done on a tablet but the questions pretty much the same as the ones I had when I first applied in 2006.

I did not have an interview, which I believe may be due to being a transferee but don't quote me on that. Medical was at a local civilian surgery and was pretty thorough and I was deferred so my records could be checked over, this was the longest part of the process.

Fitness test was at a local Nuffield Health gym and consisted of 1.5 miles on a treadmill within a specific time depending on age, followed by 1 minute of pressups and situps.

I believe most go to RAF Halton for some sort of familiarisation visit but I didn't have to do this so can't comment on what happens there.

Finally got my start date and rocked up to Halton.

If you have any specific questions about the process/training, I can give some insight!

NAAFI bop is still a thing, albeit the bar is not NAAFI so not as cheap as it once was! Beer calls are very much still a thing, there is still a social life in the RAF but you need to be a bit more active in finding it and joining in. I agree it's very easy for people to just stay in the block and not get involved. I found the best social on my camp is through playing rugby for the station, we have a cracking bunch of lads and the social is brilliant. Personally I go home every weekend as I have a daughter at home, some do stick around on camp but I think it's largely down to location. I believe camps such as Lossie have more people staying over the weekend for example.
 
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Thanks bigjd, Very informative, I'll pass it on.

Just a couple of questions: When you arrived at AFCO, are the staff serving and in uniform or are they Capita?

Incidentally. I remember my first working day at Bzn all them years ago meeting a Cpl who was just at his leaving 22 year point. Quote "It's not the same, in my day we went to RAF Butterworth blah blah..." And 23 years later I had morphed into said gentleman :) .

As others have said: Things change over time and you just have to adapt. If I had a child who was keen to join Tommorow, I would highly recommend it. Like in my day, If you don't gel with the job you can always leave.

Cheers again.
 
foxOneFive said:
Thanks bigjd, Very informative, I'll pass it on.

Just a couple of questions: When you arrived at AFCO, are the staff serving and in uniform or are they Capita?

Incidentally. I remember my first working day at Bzn all them years ago meeting a Cpl who was just at his leaving 22 year point. Quote "It's not the same, in my day we went to RAF Butterworth blah blah..." And 23 years later I had morphed into said gentleman :) .

As others have said: Things change over time and you just have to adapt. If I had a child who was keen to join Tommorow, I would highly recommend it. Like in my day, If you don't gel with the job you can always leave.

Cheers again.
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The AFCO was staffed by blue suits when I went in, I believe that is still the case now. I think Capita handle mostly the medical side of things but don't quote me on that. Unlike when I first applied when I was around 19 I didn't have the option to walk in to an AFCO and apply as such. Everything seems to be done online now, I only ever attended the AFCO to complete the AST!


I'm on my first posting from phase 2 training working on Typhoon. I really enjoy it and to be honest I enjoy the lifestyle in the RAF but it really is what you make of it. I have a far more active social life now than I did on civvi Street, but most of that is due to sport in the RAF.
 
bigjd said:
I really enjoy it and to be honest I enjoy the lifestyle in the RAF but it really is what you make of it.
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That's an excellent attitude to have and something that will work for you in the RAF and beyond. Top marks there 👍
 
bigjd said:
The AFCO was staffed by blue suits when I went in, I believe that is still the case now. I think Capita handle mostly the medical side of things but don't quote me on that. Unlike when I first applied when I was around 19 I didn't have the option to walk in to an AFCO and apply as such. Everything seems to be done online now, I only ever attended the AFCO to complete the AST!


I'm on my first posting from phase 2 training working on Typhoon. I really enjoy it and to be honest I enjoy the lifestyle in the RAF but it really is what you make of it. I have a far more active social life now than I did on civvi Street, but most of that is due to sport in the RAF.
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Thanks big.

I'll pass on again. Enjoy your career .....Do the RAF still do Weds PM afternoon off for "sports afternoon?"
 
foxOneFive said:
Thanks big.

I'll pass on again. Enjoy your career .....Do the RAF still do Weds PM afternoon off for "sports afternoon?"
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Not to my knowledge but it depends on the sqn I suppose. I work alongside civvies so it's a bit different on depth.

The station rugby club does play its fixtures on Wednesdays though, so generally speaking I am off to play rugby on those days, or at least a few hours off if I'm on days.
 
Cornish_Pikey said:
I now tend to recommend that if you want to travel in the RAF that you join as admin as you can get into the Embassy circuit etc.

Not a lot of travel opportunities for travel for the techy lot these days.
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P8’s are travelling now…plenty of variety in Europe and beyond for the ground crew to enjoy.
 
The last time I had Wednesday sports afternoon was in basic trade training. ( in 70s!)It had stopped when I returned on FT and PET courses. Certainly didn't happen on operational stations.
The station sport players get time off , but not going there!
 
fourteen2two said:
The station sport players get time off!
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Wednesday afternoons I certainly did and many of them!! In my early years at various units station cricket in the summer, station football (2nd XI) in the winter. Later years station golf in the summer with "Expeds" to the USA and Scotland thrown in with station hockey in the winter plus volleyball for an indoor sport in the warm. Somebody had to do it:D
 
Tin basher said:
Wednesday afternoons I certainly did and many of them!! In my early years at various units station cricket in the summer, station football (2nd XI) in the winter. Later years station golf in the summer with "Expeds" to the USA and Scotland thrown in with station hockey in the winter plus volleyball for an indoor sport in the warm. Somebody had to do it:D
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Rugby every Wednesday, home and away, even to the local Prison. Thursday used to be a blur most weeks. Rugby tours UK and abroad with a healthy Station Rugby Club, rand by the team. Probably only seen abroad nowadays.
 
If you weren't going on Expeds/Staff Rides you were in a job in the RAF. Those extras made it into a lifestyle. Those folks staying at work moaning didn't know how the system worked.

They all took a fair bit of organising though and H&S slowly took away some of the opportunities as you graduallly needed more and more qualified and certified leaders for activities. Wasn't impossible to do though and once you had a circle of qualified leaders in your pocket you could pretty much go anywhere.
 
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